Sun Position Planner
See exactly where the sun rises and sets at any location on any date. Plan your golden hour shots by visualising sunrise, sunset, and solar noon directions on an interactive map with compass bearings.
Sun Direction Summary
| Event | Time | Bearing | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise | |||
| Solar Noon | |||
| Sunset |
Why Sun Direction Matters for Photography
If you know where the sun will be, you have a huge advantage over photographers who just show up and hope for the best. Light direction controls everything: the mood of your shot, the texture in surfaces, how much depth your image has.
Think about it. A landscape with the sun directly behind you looks flat. Every surface gets the same even wash of light. Now shoot that same scene with side light, and suddenly every ridge, ripple, and contour pops. Planning where you stand relative to the sun's path is what separates a snapshot from a photograph, and it's one of the most important skills in landscape photography.
Planning Golden Hour Shots with Compass Bearings
Golden hour light is directional. The sun sits low, casting long shadows and warming everything it touches. But here's what catches people off guard: that light comes from a specific compass bearing, and the bearing shifts significantly through the year.
In mid-summer, the sun might rise in the northeast and set in the northwest. In winter, it rises in the southeast and sets in the southwest. Depending on your latitude, the difference can be 60 degrees or more.
Why does this matter? Because the direction of golden hour light decides which building faces glow, which mountain slopes catch the warmth, and where shadows land in your frame. That waterfront promenade with beautiful backlit golden hour in June? It might be sitting in shadow come December. Plug your date into this planner, check the exact bearing, and position yourself accordingly.
Using Compass Bearings to Scout Locations
When you're scouting a new spot, note the compass bearing of key features in the scene: a mountain peak, a bridge, a stretch of coastline. Then check this planner to see whether the sun will rise or set in alignment with those features on your shoot date.
Lining the sun up with a leading line like a road or a pier is one of the most effective compositions in photography. It pulls the viewer's eye straight into the light.
Don't overlook solar noon direction either. In the northern hemisphere, the sun sits roughly due south at midday (due north in the southern hemisphere). The exact bearing varies a little by location and date. Knowing it helps you predict where shadows will fall during the middle of the day, which is a big deal for architectural and real estate photography.
Seasonal Variation and Why It Matters
The sun's path shifts dramatically between summer and winter. Near the equinoxes (March and September), sunrise is almost due east and sunset almost due west, everywhere on Earth.
As you approach the solstices, those points swing further north in summer and further south in winter. At high latitudes like Scandinavia or Patagonia, the swing can be extreme.
This is exactly why checking multiple dates in this planner is so useful. You can find the perfect alignment between the sun and your subject, whether that's a cathedral doorway, a mountain pass, or a city skyline.